Two for one!

I've been on a coconut kick lately and I found a recipe I loved for coconut cupcakes but I couldn't decide what kind of frosting would go best on it. So of course that meant I had to try different ones. I didn't get a photo of the first batch I did but they were pina colada cupcakes, coconut with pineapple butter cream frosting. The second batch I did were coconut with chocolate syrup frosting. Both were SO good but I think the chocolate ones were better. Then again, I could eat that chocolate syrup frosting straight and be happy.

Coconut Cupcakes
1 White cake mix
1 1/3 C coconut milk OR whole milk (I didn't have whole the second time so I used skim and that worked fine too)
2 T veg. oil
3 eggs
2 t coconut flavoring (I used 1 T b/c I think the flavoring I got wasn't very potent)

1)Heat oven to 350. Mix everything on low for 30 seconds, scrape down sides and mix on medium for 2 more minutes. Fill liners, bake for 20 minutes till light golden brown on top. Let cool fully before frosting.

Pineapple buttercream
1 stick butter
3 C powdered sugar
2-3 T pineapple juice (or flavoring)

Cream butter and juice then add sugar and mix till smooth

Chocolate Syrup Frosting
1 stick butter
1/2 C unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 C chocolate syrup
3 C powdered sugar
1 T milk
1 t vanilla

Mis butter, cocoa and syrup till blended. Add sugar, milk and vanilla till creamy.

Oh and I sprinkled coconut (flaked sweetened) for garnish

My favorite cookies

Okay I don't have any pictures of these because honestly they never last long enough for me to remember to take pictures. I looked for a long time for a great peanut butter cookie recipe and I finally found this one and it's been my go to cookie recipe for years now. I always end up adding chocolate chips because well, isn't peanut butter always better with some chocolate? I also love this recipe because it's super easy to remember and I can do the whole batch start to finish in probably 15 minutes. Plus these are the kind of cookies that are soft and gooey and stay soft for days. (Not that they'll last that long!)

Peanut Butter chocolate chip cookies
1/2 C butter (1 stick)
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C peanut butter (I always use crunchy)
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/4 C flour
semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and peanut butter in mixing bowl. Add brown sugar, sugar, baking soda, baking powder. Mix till combined. Add egg, vanilla, till blended well. Slowly add flour till mixed. Then add as many chocolate chips as your little heart desires. I use semisweet but milk chocolate chips work as well. Bake for 10-12 minutes. If you like yours to stay chewy then pull them out before they get brown all over.